PENNSYLVANIA PACKS – Retired Pa. teachers Jean Connors and Karen Jedinak (right) presented T.G. Connors School in Hoboken with 300 new backpacks plus gloves, scarves, and school supplies on Tuesday. T.G. Connors School lost their entire basement level, displacing their Pre-K program, along with one of their music rooms and their cafeteria. Stefanee Wolfsie, social worker at Connors School, along with Principal Gerald Fitzhugh and secretaries Maritza Ramos and Alicea Santaigo, organized the donations Tuesday and passed them out according to grade.

President of the Rotary Club of Hoboken Ryan Mitchell presented a check Tuesday to the Hoboken Charter School. The check, written for over $24K, was a result of rigorous fundraising efforts in the wake of the Sept. 6 fire.

After a fire engulfed the 713 Washington St. location where the K-8 charter program is schooled, the students have been attending school in the St. Anne’s building in Jersey City Heights.

Two fundraisers were organized by the Rotary Club at 10th & Willow and The Turtle Club.

The proceeds were presented Tuesday at St. Anne’s to Elissa Brachfeld, President of the Friends of Hoboken Charter School. Principal Deidre Grode and other Hoboken Rotary members Joe Branco and Rory Chadwick were present.

Hoboken Hair Cut-A-Thon

Hoboken Hair, 109 Fourteenth St., will hold a cut-a-thon on Sunday, Dec. 2 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Haircuts are being offered for $15 to both men and women, however anyone is welcome to donate more. Donations over $30 will receive a Hoboken Strong T-Shirt, while supplies last. All proceeds will go to Rebuild Hoboken and The Hoboken Boys and Girls Club. For more information call (201) 683-8877.

Candle sales to Hoboken Homeless Shelter

Director of Wholesale Sales from Yankee Candle Company Ralph DiVito and staff member Eileen Lucas will be at Greetings from Hoboken, 327 Washington St., on Saturday, Dec. 8 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. selling Yankee Candles. Ten percent of candle sales that day will be donated to the Hoboken Homeless Shelter.

During the power outage after Sandy, Greetings from Hoboken donated over $300 in candles to Hoboken Homeless Shelter. They then asked Yankee Candle for assistance, who donated $670 in candles to be given to the shelter as well.

Hoboken/Newport light rail will cross-honor PATH tickets

Until the PATH in Hoboken is fully restored, the city is continuing to work with all transit agencies to provide alternatives for commuters.

In order to accommodate commuters who are traveling to Newport for PATH service, Mayor Zimmer asked NJ Transit to cross-honor PATH tickets on light rail service between Hoboken and Newport until PATH service is restored to Hoboken, starting Monday, Dec. 3.

"NJ Transit has been working tirelessly under very difficult conditions to restore normalcy to our transportation system," said Zimmer. "I am so thankful that they have agreed to cross-honor PATH tickets on their light rail service between Hoboken and Newport in order to make commutes a little bit easier during this difficult time."

Commuters can take the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail from 9th Street, 2nd Street, or Hoboken Terminal directly to Newport. Until PATH service is restored to Hoboken, PATH tickets will be cross-honored between these stations.

In addition, since many commuters are bicycling to Newport, there has been an increase in need for bicycle parking at Newport, which Mayor Zimmer has also requested.

“I appreciate Jamie LeFrak and Mayor Healy's willingness to work with us to provide additional temporary bicycle parking at Newport," added Mayor Zimmer. "The Port Authority has also been accommodating of the large increase in bicyclists."

As a result of construction work by Spectra Energy on the Newport waterfront, the walkway between Hoboken and Jersey City will be closed from Friday 8 p.m. until Monday 5 a.m. Free 24-hour shuttle service will be provided every 20 minutes while the walkway is closed. The shuttle will stop at Hoboken Terminal, 14th Street & Washington Boulevard in Jersey City, and Newport PATH.

NJ Transit will continue operating the subsidized ($10 round trip) ferry service between Hoboken Terminal and Pier 79 at 39th Street in Midtown Manhattan until PATH service is restored to Hoboken. The service operates 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

NJ Transit has added 200 extra bus trips per day on the 126 line to accommodate an increase in ridership from 4,000 daily customers to more than 9,000 customers. They continue to work with the Zimmer administration to make adjustments to service based on rider feedback, including running empty express buses to begin pickup mid-route.

The Port Authority has hundreds of employees working to restore PATH service following nearly $300 million in damage to the PATH system.

"We recognize the Port Authority faced an historic level of damage and they are working around the clock to restore PATH service as quickly as possible," added Mayor Zimmer. "I know their employees worked during Thanksgiving to make repairs, and we appreciate their dedication and sacrifice."

The idea is to help people get to the PATH station at Newport,” said NJ Transit Chief of Government and External Affairs Paul Wyckoff.

Miracle on River Street

A “Miracle on River Street” holiday celebration will be held at the Main Post Office, 89 River St., on Friday, Dec. 7 at 11 a.m. The 45-minute gala is in support of the revitalization of Hoboken in the aftermath of Sandy and to bolster community spirit. The unveiling of a 24” x 30” enlargement of the 2012 Santa and Sleigh Forever postage stamp will take place during the gala, alongside scheduled speakers. The celebration will conclude with Santa picking up letters addressed to him from the children of Hoboken, in the spirit of the 1947 film “Miracle on 34th Street.”

“The public is invited with a good size crowd expected, including families, veterans’ groups, schools and civic organizations,” said Postmaster Arthur Tate.

Toy and Pajama drive

The Hoboken Family Alliance will be launching a toy and pajama drive focusing on children in the Hoboken/Hudson County area that have been impacted by Sandy as well as other children in need. Recipients will include DYFS, Hoboken Shelter, In Jesus’ Name Charities and York Street Project.

HFA is joining the nationally run Pajama Program to collect new pajamas and new books for homeless and needy children. Pajamas must be new and unworn for all sizes, infant to age 17. For more information on the national program, visit www.pajamaprogram.org.

Additionally, HFA will be collecting new and unwrapped toys for all ages, infant to 17. Both drives will run concurrently and have the same drop off locations until Sunday, Dec. 23. Drop-off locations include: Club H, 110 Sinatra Drive, Hoboken Chiropractic & Wellness in the Business Center, 50 Harrison Street Ste. 316, Big Fun Toys, 602 Washington Street, and New York Sports Club North, 210 Fourteenth Street.

If you wish to make a financial contribution, please visit www.hobokenfamily.com/toydrive. One hundred percent of the amount donated will be put toward a tax-free purchase of a toy or pajamas. A tax deductible receipt will be provided.

American Legion Post 107 commemorates Pearl Harbor Day

Ed Huelbig of American Legion Post 107 said Friday that he and other Legion members will be commemorating Pearl Harbor Day on Dec. 7 at 7:45 a.m. Huelbig plans to release a wreath into the river, right next to the World War II monument that stands adjacent to Frank Sinatra Park.

“We will lay a wreath in the water as a remembrance of the lives lost in Pearl Harbor,” said Huelbig.

Anyone is welcome to attend.

Hoboken to light the tree

Hoboken will hold its annual tree lighting on Tuesday, Dec. 4 at 5 p.m. outside of City Hall, 94 Washington Street. MC Elvis the Elf and Santa Claus will be in attendance. Performances by Garden Street School of Performing Arts Band, HoLa choir and the Red Wing cheerleaders are scheduled.

Hoboken City Hall Holiday Crafts Fair

The City of Hoboken will hold a holiday crafts fair on Saturday, Dec. 1 and Sunday, Dec. 2 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Hoboken City Hall, 94 Washington St. The fair will feature unique handcrafted gift items by local artists, photographers and crafters.

Hoboken Winter Carnival

The City of Hoboken, in conjunction with the Hoboken Housing Authority and co-sponsor New Jersey NCSY, will be hosting the Hoboken Winter Carnival on Thursday, Dec. 6 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the parking lot adjacent to Mama Johnson Field. The carnival will feature free food and activities for the entire family.

Opening night this week

Mile Square Theatre will be presenting a revival of “It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play” opening Thursday, Dec. 6 and running through Dec. 23 at the Monroe Theatrespace, 720 Monroe St, second floor. “It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play” is a take on the classic film by Frank Capra. Mile Square Theatre transforms its space into a 1940s radio station. Five actors perform dozens of characters. The show will run Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m. Matinees will also run on Saturdays and Sundays at 3 p.m. Tickets are $20 and are available online at www.milesquaretheatre.org and at the Monroe Theatrespace box office, or by calling (201) 683-7014.

On Thursday, Dec. 13 at 8 p.m. there will be a special pay-what-you-will performance allowing audience members to pay whatever they wish to attend. Press contact for the event Joe Gallo said, “If there was ever a time in Hoboken for a George Bailey, it’s now.” Joseph Gallo can be reached at josephgallo2002@yahoo.com.

Riverside Pediatric Group donates $20K to Boys and Girls Club of Hoboken

Riverside Pediatric Group donated close to $20,000 worth of formula, diapers, children's clothing and other supplies to the Boys and Girls Club of Hoboken on Tuesday. Riverside Pediatric Group doctors Azzam Baker, Zeyed Baker and Omar Baker presented the charitable donations to the club. A cash donation was also presented for $1,000 to the Boys and Girls Club courtesy of the Izdihar A. Baker Charitable Foundation. Mayor Dawn Zimmer was present for the donation ceremony.

The Boys and Girls Club of Hoboken, located at 123 Jefferson St., suffered extraordinary damage from Hurricane Sandy.

Executive Director of the Boys and Girls Club of Hoboken, Gary Greenberg said that groups like this have really made miracles happen.

"In the beginning [after the storm], I was on the sidewalk crying," admitted Greenberg. "I thought the world was coming to an end. We had our entire floor wiped out."

Greenberg said that with the help of Fields Development Group, Zog Sports, Party With Purpose, Hoboken Grace, Integrity House of Secaucus, the community and now Riverside Pediatric Group, he could finally see a light at the end of the tunnel.

Adam Jaeger, case manager for Jersey City and Hoboken Boys and Girls Club, said that Hoboken kids had to be bussed to Jersey City for over three weeks. Monday was the first official day that Hoboken Boys and Girls Club was able to re-open (HoLa opened the previous Monday), he said.

Riverside Medical Group has multiple offices including an office in Hoboken at 609 Washington St, so they were able to understand the devastation the town suffered.

The Izdihar A. Baker Charitable Foundation started from five individuals: Dr. Azzam A. Baker (husband of Izdihar A. Baker and Founder of Riverside Pediatric Group), their three sons Dr. Zeyad Baker, Dr. Iyad Baker and Dr. Omar Baker, and Miriam Baker (wife of Dr. Zeyad Baker). Miriam and Zeyad Baker are in the process of moving to Hoboken.

Dr. Iyad Baker is also the doctor recently mentioned a Reporter cover story for taking on the difficult case of Zoemy Alicea, a very sick little girl in Hoboken (see last week's cover story).

Pennsylvania teachers and kids donate to T.G. Connors School

Jean Connors and Karen Jedinak, both retired teachers from Monroeville, Pa., donated some 300 bookbags filled with supplies, scarves, hats and notes from PA kids to Connors students Tuesday.

In sheer irony, Jean Connors reached out to a teacher she knew in Hoboken who taught at Wallace School and asked which school in Hoboken suffered the greatest Sandy devastation. Connors was told that it was Thomas Connors, which just happened to be her brother-in-law's name. Connors was in.

"I said we had to do something for kids," Connors said. "My friend said how about Thomas Connors, which is the name of my brother-in-law."

Connors and Jedinak teamed up and created a Facebook page for the kids helping kids reach out. They received close to 300 new bookbags, as well as supplies, gloves, and hats. They also included handwritten notes from their kids to Hoboken's kids, wishing them well.

Stefanee Wolfsie, social worker at Connors School, along with Principal Gerald Fitzhugh and secretaries Maritza Ramos and Alicea Santaigo, organized the donations Tuesday and passed them out according to grade.

Connors and Jedinak rented a van and brought the many bags of donations to Hoboken themselves and stayed to watch the faces of the children light up while they received their gifts.

Another box is still on its way for Connors school, from Disney World, Fla. where another friend of Connors and Jedinak lives. The excess of bookbags and supplies collected on behalf of the kids helping kids efforts, will be donated to a school in Union Beach, NJ.

T.G. Connors School lost their entire basement level, displacing their Pre K program, along with one of their music rooms and their cafeteria.